Factsheet: Tree maintenance

This factsheet provides an overview of tree maintenance processes and best practices. It is designed to assist communities, including staff tasked with caring for trees and their partners, in implementing strategies to maintain and expand their community canopies.  

This factsheet was created to support small and rural communities who are just developing their urban forestry approaches, and content might be helpful for municipal staff working in various departments such as public works, recreation or public health services.  

Why is tree maintenance important?

Community trees provide a long list of benefits. They clean the air, provide beauty and shade, increase biodiversity, fight the impacts of climate change, reduce noise pollution and create job opportunities. For communities to derive the most benefit from trees, they must be properly maintained. 

Urban trees face multiple threats: diseases, pests, storms, salt, compacted soils, space limitations and damage from vehicles. Communities might also be concerned about the potential risks and liabilities that trees near buildings and public spaces can present (e.g., fallen branches or trees). Like built assets, communities should properly maintain their natural assets, including newly planted and existing community trees, to extend their lives, enhance their benefits and reduce risk factors. Adopting a proactive approach to tree maintenance can prevent costly, damaging or high-risk scenarios and foster the growth of healthy, long-living trees that constitute valuable community assets. 

Community trees require frequent maintenance

Maintenance is crucial for ensuring safe and healthy tree growth. Trees in the built environment require more frequent maintenance to promote good structure, maintain clearance and manage risks.  The frequency and type of maintenance varies depending on site conditions, climate conditions and tree species. 

Different maintenance activities are needed at different stages of tree growth. Young trees typically require mulching, protection from factors that may damage them (e.g., mowing, animals, weather), sufficient water (especially in the summer) and pruning for healthy structural growth. 

Maintenance requirements for older trees and shrubs varies. Typical maintenance for mature trees includes risk inspection, clearance pruning and removal at the end of a tree’s lifecycle. In some cases, mature trees may require pest and disease treatments or watering in extreme drought conditions. Trees will provide wide-ranging benefits for years to come with little maintenance if the right species is chosen for the environment and if the tree pit has been carefully designed. 

Key tree maintenance activities

Typically, maintenance activities vary depending on the location of trees and the local climate. Special consideration should be given to factors that might change maintenance requirements, such as adjacent construction, pest/disease outbreaks, wildfires or storms. 

The following activities are key to maintaining trees after planting so they can flourish while growing safely.  

1. Watering 

Trees, especially newly planted ones, should be watered frequently. Watering consistently at regular intervals and increasing volumes over time will help the root systems of trees and shrubs to grow and spread underground.  

Generally, trees and shrubs should be watered at the time of planting, then daily for the first two weeks, then every couple of days for the next three weeks to three months. Watering should be abundant and deep, covering the entire area under the tree canopy. If trees have been planted in soil that does not drain well, watering should be done gradually to prevent runoff. 

After the first few weeks and for about two to three years after, it’s better to water a large amount (for several minutes) less frequently than a small amount every day until roots are established. Watering in the mornings or evenings will also avoid significant water loss from evaporation, especially during long, hot summer days. 

2. Mulching 

Mulch is a layer of organic material that can be applied over soil and around plants to improve soil conditions. Proper mulching around trees after planting benefits them by improving soil health, regulating soil temperature, reducing competition and avoiding damage from grass maintenance equipment. Mulch should be reapplied as needed to maintain a consistent depth of around five centimetres to ensure ongoing benefits and replace material that decomposes.  

3. Staking 

If young trees are unstable or susceptible to heavy winds, temporary supports like stakes may help them build stability. Any support structure should be regularly inspected and removed within one year. 

4. Fertilizing 

While fertilization is not always recommended, it can improve soil conditions and plant health, and it can increase growth when applied properly. Soil fertilization should be considered when a nutrient deficiency has been diagnosed by soil testing or in consultation with a qualified professional. Fertilizer should be selected and applied following the label instructions and industry standards (such as the Canadian Landscape Standard). 

5. Weeding 

The roots of newly planted trees compete with other plants for nutrients and water, so maintaining an area around the tree that is free from weeds and grasses will help the tree thrive. Applying a layer of mulch around the tree will help with weed control, but regularly inspecting and weeding newly planted trees are also important maintenance activities. The use of herbicides to control weeds should be avoided, as they can have negative effects on pollinators and ecosystems.

6. Pest and disease management 

Trees may be prone to different types of pests and diseases, brought on by warming climates and spread between different regions. It is far easier to prevent rather than cure infected trees, so establishing a plan for regular monitoring to identify early signs of stress or disease and taking preventative measures to avoid infection are crucial. If trees become infected, specific treatments or removal of diseased branches or whole trees may be necessary. Integrated approaches should be used for managing pests and rodents to avoid or minimize the use of insecticides, herbicides and rodenticides.  

7. Pruning 

Pruning is one of the most important maintenance procedures for urban trees. It can be done to remove dead wood, encourage growth in a desired shape or structure, and raise, reduce or thin growth. Proper pruning reduces the risk of fallen limbs and branches, avoids tree damage and promotes long-term tree health. 

Creating a plan for monitoring and maintenance

Trees are valuable municipal assets and, as with all municipal assets, it’s a good idea to create lifecycle plans for monitoring and maintaining trees.  

Different types of tree assets may require different types of maintenance. Defining the different types of tree assets in your community can help you create monitoring and maintenance plans. For example, are they street or boulevard trees, park trees or forest trees in natural or restoration areas? 

Across the community, the extent of maintenance needed can be assessed by answering questions such as: How many trees require maintenance? How often do these trees require maintenance? What level of maintenance is required for each tree? What type of maintenance needs to be completed? What are the costs of maintaining trees? What resources are required? What resources are available? 

Here are steps that can help you monitor and maintain trees: 

1. Create a tree inventory: A good way of recording maintenance needs is to develop a spatial inventory. Inventories should capture attributes such as the tree’s location, species, condition, diameter at breast height (DBH), planting site type and any other factors that will inform maintenance planning and prioritization. For more information on using tools to create site inventories, review our Tools and technologies factsheet. 

2. Create annual work plans: To address the scope, frequency, budget and timing of proactive maintenance throughout the year, a work plan is indispensable. Work plans should specify which trees need to be inspected and maintained at regular intervals, including identifying trees that require more frequent maintenance due to their health or location. Plans should also detail monitoring activities to measure, track and report on tree health and other relevant maintenance considerations. 

3. Anticipate reactive maintenance: Tree maintenance will also be required reactively, outside of annual work plans, such as when trees become high-risk, have a health issue or need to be pruned for clearance. In these cases, maintenance should be prioritized according to safety and available resources.  

4. Document completed tree maintenance: Documentation, ideally done in your tree inventory, enables better monitoring of tree conditions, maintenance history, treatments received and any ongoing issues. It can also be used to improve asset management planning. 

5. Establish a plan for replanting: Trees periodically need to be removed, as part of regular maintenance or because of damage caused by conditions like windstorms or disease outbreaks. As part of your maintenance plan, determine what steps you will take to replace trees that need to be removed or that do not survive. 

How to involve your community in tree monitoring and maintenance

Invite community members to be a part of tree maintenance and monitoring by encouraging them to share their concerns about tree conditions and report trees in need of attention. Volunteer and community groups, such as citizen urban forester programs, can act as stewards of trees, parks or natural areas. They can help with watering, invasive species removal, restoration planting and engaging with the public to raise awareness of the importance of tree maintenance in urban and naturalized areas.  

Next steps

Here are additional resources that can help you get started with maintaining your community trees: 

• Tree Canada, Compendium of Best Urban Forest Management Practices  

• Vibrant Cities Lab, Monitoring & Maintaining Your Urban Forest  

• International Society of Arboriculture, Proper Mulching Techniques  

• Natural Resources Canada, Top forest insects and diseases in Canada 

This resource was created in partnership by Tree Canada and FCM’s Green Municipal Fund for the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative, which is delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada.